Seattle Animal Shelter news and events

Archives for October 2017

Terry the Tarantula is just one of the many critters that SAS has cared and found homes for. Meet available critters at Creeptacular!

by Erin Berge

The Seattle Animal Shelter will host its first Creeptacular event on Saturday, Oct. 28, from noon-3 p.m., featuring all available critters ready for adoption and spooky guests.

The event will include a photo booth with costume options as well as participation by the Washington Ferret Rescue and Shelter, the Northwest Hepatology group and a fleet of white guinea pigs. Guests will be able to hand-feed the critters with greens and berries, said Interim Volunteer Supervisor Laura Mundy.

“Creeptacular will bring much-needed attention to the variety of animals available for adoption at SAS and how different critters have very distinct and different needs,” said Mundy.

While many people think “dogs and cats” when it comes to adopting animals, not everyone realizes there are so many more choices at the Seattle Animal Shelter. SAS’ critter room houses animals like rabbits, turtles, guinea pigs and mice. And back in January 2017, SAS briefly cared for Terry – a tarantula!

Critter team volunteer Ellen Gawryla was amazed by the spider’s mellow-nature.

“He had the lightest little footsteps, and you could just kind of hold him,” said Gawryla.

When SAS created Terry’s online adoption profile, unfortunately there was no category option for “tarantula” or “spider.” Having a bit of fun, SAS instead categorized Terry as a llama, noting in his description that he was, in fact, a spider. And the fun continued on social media.

Sam Miller adopted Terry after he spent a month as Terry the llama.

“He’s just cool. I can watch him grow and move,” said Miller.

According to Miller, attention must be paid to Terry’s environment. Feeding him only two to three crickets a week, Miller controls the temperature and moisture level for Terry’s home to keep the spider happy. Although Terry was used to being handled at SAS before adoption, Miller does not force him to crawl around, since the spider’s exterior is extremely fragile.

Miller enjoys watching Terry make spider webs.

“When he makes his webs, he thinks he’s dancing,” said Miller. “He’s just a cool pet.”

The Creeptacular event is a great time to visit SAS and the critter room, which features a large variety of pets available for adoption.

“You may even spot a guinea pig in a costume if you’re lucky!” said Mundy.

The Seattle Animal Shelter, located at 2061 15th Ave. W., is open from noon to 6 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday, for adoptions and licensing. For more information, call 206-386-PETS (7387) or visit www.seattleanimalshelter.org.

The Humane Society of the United States is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons who failed to provide veterinary care for a dog then abandoned him in West Seattle. The dog was in clear medical distress and was suffering when someone tossed him from a stopped vehicle.

On Sunday, Sept. 24, a witness observed the dog being tossed from a purple Dodge minivan by someone described as a heavyset African-American man with dreadlocks. This incident occurred in the 5600 block of 38th Avenue Southwest. A Seattle Animal Shelter officer responded and transported the dog to an emergency veterinary clinic. Unfortunately, the dog did not survive. Abandoning an animal and failing to provide medical care necessary for an animal’s health or to alleviate its pain are crimes, said Seattle Animal Shelter Executive Director Ann Graves.

“This is a very disturbing case of callousness and an act of animal cruelty,” Graves said.

WARNING: We are providing a link to a photo of the dog, still alive but clearly in distress. This photo is graphic and may be upsetting to viewers. However, we are posting the photo hoping that someone will recognize this dog. To view the photo, click here.

If you recognize the dog or the description of the van or know who is responsible for abandoning this dog, please call Seattle Animal Shelter’s acting manager of field services, Don Baxter, at 206-386-4288 and reference case number C04542592. Any information about the person who did this is vital to solving this case, Graves said.

“Abandoning an animal that is suffering and in desperate need of medical attention is unconscionable and a clear violation of our state’s animal cruelty statutes,” said Dan Paul, Washington state director for The Humane Society of the United States. “We are grateful the Seattle Animal Shelter was able to respond quickly and hopeful that this reward brings forward anyone with information about this heinous act of cruelty.”

First degree animal cruelty is a Class C felony punishable by five years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both.

The Seattle Animal Shelter enforces both SMC 9.25.081 and RCW 16.52.205, which make it illegal to abuse or neglect an animal. If you feel that an animal is being neglected or abused, please contact the Seattle Animal Shelter at 206-386-PETS (7387).